The University Hospital of L. Pasteur Košice (UNLP) today, with the participation of the Minister of Health Kamila Šaška, has put into operation a reconstructed bridge, through which a symbolically passed the ambulance from the heliport to the hospital complex. This will ensure a more efficient transport of patients from the air rescue heliport. The complete renovation of the bridge required over 2.1 million. Eur with VAT from the state budget.
–We're standing by a bridge today that looks like everyone else. But for a person who has just landed on a helicopter helicopter rescue service, this bridge is completely different - it is the shortest possible route to the doctor. And the shortest way back to life. For me, this is exactly the kind of investment that makes sense. He starts with a patient and what he needs, because every second he has to cut short on his way to the doctor can decide his life, stated the Minister of Health Kamil Šaško at the official opening of the bridge.
For decades the bridge connected the hospital area of the current UNLP Košice on Triede SNP 1 with the area on Ipeľská Street, which was the technical base of the hospital complex. At the end of 2009, a new air rescue heliport was launched in the Ipeľska area. Since then, the bridge has been primarily designed to transport patients from the heliport, where every second counts.
In September 2021 the hospital management proceeded to close the bridge due to its poor technical condition. In addition to transferring patients from heliport, the bridge also serves to provide high voltage cables providing electricity to the hospital. It also leads over the important and extremely busy four-ring road communication and tram track with two rails.
The bridge was completely restored. For example, hydro-insulating layers were replaced and reinforcing ropes were placed on the static anchor elements of the bridge. On the bridge there are new railings, ledges and sidewalks, where they run the engineering networks necessary for the operation of the entire hospital area. The length of the reconstructed bridge body is 95 meters, the length of the restored road 120 meters.
